Manchester United have good news, not only on the transfer front, but also in terms of injuries as per a recent report.
So far, this pre-season, Ruben Amorim has not been able to call upon the services of both Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee due to injury. Both had travelled to the US with the rest of the team.
The Cameroonian had suffered a hamstring issue and was set to miss six to eight weeks. He had recently revealed that he was confident of being back in time for the Premier League opener against Arsenal.
He rejoined team training on Thursday, after spending time doing non-contact drills before this. There is a chance the 29-year-old sees some minutes in the final pre-season game against Fiorentina on Saturday as per The Manchester Evening News.
Onana back in team training
As for the forward, he was ruled out for the last two months of the season with a hamstring injury. But after a miraculous recovery, the Dutchman returned to play a part in the Europa League final, which Ruben Amorim’s side ended up losing.
The ex-Bologna ace suffered a separate injury in training which has forced him to miss all pre-season games so far. Whether Amorim will turn to him on Saturday is not clear.
“Manchester United duo Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee have featured in team training ahead of Saturday’s final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina and the Premier League opener against Arsenal.
“Neither Onana nor Zirkzee have featured so far this pre-season due to injury issues, despite travelling to the United States for the club’s pre-season tour.
“United published images of him training during the second week of their US tour, and sources said he had been “throwing himself around” in training but in non-contact drills.
Zirkzee also returns from small injury
“Images shared by the club on Thursday showed him training with the rest of United’s goalkeepers at Carrington, suggesting he could be in contention to play some part in this weekend’s clash with Fiorentina.
“Zirkzee was also pictured training in the latest images published by the club, suggesting his recovery is also heading in the right direction.”
It will be good for the squad with the head coach having options to choose from ahead of the all-important Arsenal tie.
The Netherlands international will have a fight on his hands to earn minutes once he does return, following INEOS’ decision to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
As for the United No.1, Amorim would prefer an alternative and there are links with Gianluigi Donnarumma, but in all likelihood, a low-cost operation involving Senne Lammens arriving in place of Altay Bayindir currently seems more likely.
Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
